Alignment tool

ABSTRACT

An alignment tool that is easy to use during the installation and fastening of storage rack is disclosed herein. The alignment tool comprises a first end having a conical shape and a second end defining an opening therein, and the opening extending into said cylindrical body along the longitudinal axis. Once the storage rack is installed, the alignment tool can be easily removed with a removal tool through a hole in the alignment tool.

BACKGROUND

Storage systems are used in warehouses, department stores, and storagefacilities to store products thereon. The storage systems containing aplurality of storage racks may hold and support large amounts and oftenheavy materials. Storage racks often employ a number of vertical columnsthat are sturdily positioned on a base or floor, and then a plurality ofhorizontal supporting beams may connect to and be fastened to thevertical columns. According to safety law and regulations, storage racksmust be secured to increase their stability and decrease the chance ofcollapsing. For example, anchor bolts may be installed throughpredrilled holes on the base plates of the storage rack into the floor.A portion of the aboveground bolt is used together with nuts and washersto secure the storage racks. The racks may also be secured to theadjacent wall or to each other. Heavy duty storage racks may requireadditional safety measurements to secure the racks to the floor.

In some warehouses, the threaded anchor bolts are fixed in ground beforethe installation of the storage racks. These fixed in ground anchorbolts provide strong support for the storage rack. One example iscast-in-place anchor bolt wherein anchor bolt is cast in the wetconcrete before the concrete sets. The portion of the cast-in-placeanchor bolt that is embedded in the concrete may have the shape ofstraight (with an optional hex nut), J, L or pigtail. The portion of thecast-in-place anchor bolt that is above the ground is always a straightpost with threads.

In other warehouses, straight anchor bolts may also be installed in thepre-existing floor by drilling holes having a diameter that is slightlylarger than the diameter of the bolt and then applying an adhesivematerial, such as epoxy resin or polyurethane, to secure the lowerportion of the bolt into the floor. These straight fixed in groundanchor bolts can be flexibly installed at any time into the pre-existingfloor, making them more practical than these cast-in-place anchor bolts.

During installation of the storage rack, the aboveground portion of thefixed in ground anchor bolts are carefully aligned with the holes on thebase plates of the storage rack, then the storage rack is lowered to beplaced on the floor while the anchor bolts are inserted into the holeson the base plates of the storage rack. However, because the holes onthe base plates of the storage rack are only slightly larger than theanchor bolts, the bolts could be easily damaged during the installationof storage rack, especially by heavy-duty storage racks that may weightseveral thousand pounds. The installation of large and heavy storageracks often requires the precise alignment of multiple holes withmultiple corresponding bolts at the same time, which could be very timeconsuming and any misalignment could significantly increase the chanceof damage to the anchor bolts. For example, the thread on the anchorbolt may be damaged or stripped, or the bolt itself may be bent orbroken by the heavy storage rack.

If the damage to the bolts is insignificant, depends on the type ofdamage, the bolts may be rethreaded with a rethreading kit orstraightened with a tool such as a plier. However, if the damages are sosevere that the bolts cannot be repaired, a replacement of the anchorbolt would be required. In that situation, the anchor bolts would haveto be pulled out of the floor, causing major damage to the floor. Whileit is possible to reinstall a new bolt at the same location after theremoval of the damaged bolt, due to the weakened structure of the floor,the same spot may not be suitable for the replacement bolt, and thechange of location of one bolt in a set of multiple bolts would requirethe rest of bolts to be relocated accordingly.

Therefore, there is need to protect the aboveground portion of anchorbolts during the installation of storage racks to avoid costly repair orreplacement of the anchor bolts. There is also a need to improve theefficiency of the alignment process during the installation of storageracks.

SUMMARY

An alignment tool that is easy to use and provides protection to thefixed in ground threaded anchor bolts is disclosed herein.

In one embodiment, the alignment tool comprises three parts: a firstsolid body having a substantially conical shape with a round apex, acircular body gradually expanding from the round apex and a flatcircular base terminating the circular body of the first solid body,wherein the center of the round apex and the center of the flat circularbase lie substantially along a longitudinal axis of the alignment tool;a second solid body having an elongated tubular body extended from theflat circular base of the first solid body in an opposite direction ofthe round apex of the first solid body and along the longitudinal axisdefined by the first solid body; and a hollow body having asubstantially cylinder body extended from the second solid body in anopposite direction of the round apex of the first solid body, along thelongitudinal axis defined by the first solid body and terminated at acircular ring and a hollow space having a substantially cylindricalshape encompassed by the hollow body.

In another embodiment, the alignment tool has a substantiallycylindrical body defined along a longitudinal axis and comprises a firstend having a conical shape and a second end defining an opening therein,and the opening extends into the substantially cylindrical body of thealignment tool along the longitudinal axis.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of an alignment tool in accordancewith aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a second embodiment of an alignment tool inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a third embodiment of an alignment tool in accordancewith aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a fourth embodiment of an alignment tool inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5A illustrates a cross sectional view of one embodiment of analignment tool in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; andFIG. 5B illustrates another cross sectional view of one embodiment of analignment tool in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6A illustrates a cross sectional view of another embodiment of analignment tool in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; andFIG. 6B illustrates another cross sectional view of the same embodimentof an alignment tool in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 7A illustrates a cross sectional view of a further embodiment of analignment tool in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; andFIG. 7B illustrates another cross sectional view of the same embodimentof an alignment tool in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates one embodiment of an alignment tool being placed on athreaded anchor bolt in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 9A illustrates a cross sectional view of one embodiment of analignment tool being placed on a threaded anchor bolt in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9B illustrates a cross sectional view of a storage rack beinginstalled through one embodiment of an alignment tool in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 10A-10G illustrate the use of one embodiment of an alignment toolin the installation and fastening of a storage rack. In particular, FIG.10A illustrates a threaded anchor bolt being deeply embedded in thefloor; FIG. 10B illustrates an alignment tool in accordance with aspectsof the present disclosure is being placed on a threaded anchor bolt;

FIG. 10C illustrates a storage rack being aligned and ready to belowered towards the alignment tool; FIG. 10D(a) illustrates thealignment tool and the threaded anchor bolt in accordance with aspectsof the present disclosure being aligned off-center with a hole on astorage rack; FIG. 10D(b) is a force diagram to illustrate the forcesacting on the alignment tool by the storage rack; FIG. 10E(a)illustrates a cross sectional view of a storage rack being installedthrough the body of the alignment tool in accordance with aspects of thepresent disclosure; FIG. 10E(b) is a force diagram to illustrate theforces acting on the alignment tool by the storage rack; FIG. 10F showsa storage rack being placed on the floor without damaging the threadedanchor bolt; FIG. 10G shows an alignment tool being removed and a nutbeing screwed on the anchor bolt to secure the storage rack; and

FIG. 11 illustrates the scale of the storage rack installation using thealignment tools in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure may be understood more readily by reference tothe following detailed description of the disclosure taken in connectionwith the accompanying figures, which form a part of this disclosure. Itis to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the specificdevices, methods, conditions or parameters described and/or shownherein, and that the terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescribing particular embodiments by way of example only and is notintended to be limiting of the claimed disclosure.

Also, as used in the specification and including the appended claims,the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural, andreference to a particular numerical value includes at least thatparticular value, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Rangesmay be expressed herein as from “about” or “approximately” oneparticular value and/or to “about” or “approximately” another particularvalue. When such a range is expressed, another embodiment includes fromthe one particular value and/or to the other particular value.Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by use of theantecedent “about,” it will be understood that the particular valueforms another embodiment.

Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments of thepresent disclosure, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of an alignment tool in accordancewith aspects of the present disclosure. The alignment tool 100 includesa first solid body 101, a second solid body 111 and a hollow body 121.

The first solid body 101 has a substantially conical shape with a roundapex 102, a circular body 103 gradually expanding from the round apex102 and a flat circular base 104 terminating the circular body 103 ofthe first solid body 101. The center of the round apex 102 and thecenter of the flat circular base 104 lie substantially along alongitudinal axis “a” of the alignment tool 100.

The second solid body 111 has an elongated tubular body 112 extendedfrom the flat circular base 104 of the first solid body 101 in anopposite direction of the round apex 102 of the first solid body 101 andalong the longitudinal axis “a” defined by the first solid body 101.

The hollow body 121 has a substantially cylinder body 122 extended fromthe second solid body 111 in an opposite direction of the round apex 102of the first solid body 101, along the longitudinal axis “a” defined bythe first solid body 101, and terminated at a circular ring 123. Thehollow body 121 encompasses a hollow space 124 which has a substantiallycylindrical shape.

The length l1 of the first solid body 101 of the alignment tool 100 isdefined by the shortest distance from the center of the round apex 102of the first solid body 101 to the center of the flat circular base 104of the first solid body 101. The length l1 is in the range of from 0.5to 15 inches and preferably, from 1 to 10 inches.

The length l2 of the second solid body 111 of the alignment tool 100 isdefined by the shortest distance from the center of the flat circularbase 104 of the first solid body 101 along the longitudinal axis “a” tothe intersection of the second solid body 111 and the hollow body 121.The length l2 is in the range of from 0.1 to 10 inches and preferably,from 0.2 to 8 inches.

The length l3 of the hollow body 121 of the alignment tool 100 isdefined by the shortest distance along the longitudinal axis “a” fromthe intersection of the second solid body 111 and the hollow body 121 tothe center of the circular ring 123 of the hollow body 121. The lengthl3 is in the range of from 0.5 to 10 inches and preferably, from 1 to 8inches.

The diameter d1 of the flat circular base 104 of the first solid body101 is in the range of from 0.1 to 5 inches and preferably, from 0.2 to4 inches.

The diameter d2 of the tubular body 112 of the second solid body 111 isin the range of from 0.1 to 5 inches and preferably, from 0.2 to 4inches.

The diameter d3 of the inner surface of the hollow body 121, which isthe same as the diameter of the outer surface of the hollow space 124,is in the range of from 0.05 to 5 inches and preferably, from 0.1 to 4inches.

The diameter d4 of the outer surface of the hollow body 121 is in therange of from 0.1 to 5 inches and preferably, from 0.2 to 4 inches.

The diameter d1 of the flat circular base 104 of the first solid body101 is substantially the same as the diameter d2 of the tubular body 112of the second solid body 111 and the diameter d4 of the outer surface ofthe hollow body 121.

The diameter d3 of the inner surface of the hollow body 121 is slightlylarger than the diameter of the threaded anchor bolt (not shown inFIG. 1) to receive and protect the anchor bolt.

FIG. 2 illustrates a second embodiment of an alignment tool inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The alignment tool200 has a substantially cylindrical body 201 defined along alongitudinal axis “a”. The alignment tool 200 comprises a first end 202having a conical shape and a second end 203 defining an opening 204therein, and the opening 204 extends into the cylindrical body 201 alongthe longitudinal axis “a”.

The length l1 of the portion of the alignment tool 200 having theconical shape is in the range of from 0.5 to 15 inches and preferably,from 1 to 10 inches.

The length l3 of the opening 204 of the alignment tool 200 extendinginto the cylindrical body 201 along the longitudinal axis “a” is in therange of from 0.5 to 10 inches and preferably, from 1 to 8 inches.

The length l4 of the portion of the alignment tool 200 having thesubstantially cylindrical body 201 is in the range of from 0.5 to 20inches and preferably, from 1 to 10 inches.

The diameter d2 of the substantially cylindrical body 201 of thealignment tool 200 is in the range of from 0.1 to 5 inches andpreferably, from 0.2 to 4 inches.

The diameter d3 of the opening 204 of the alignment tool 200 is in therange of from 0.05 to 5 inches and preferably, from 0.1 to 4 inches.

FIG. 3 illustrates a third embodiment of an alignment tool in accordancewith aspects of the present disclosure. The alignment tool 100 has afirst solid body 101, a second solid body 111, a hollow body 121, around apex 102, a circular body 103, a flat circular base 104, anelongated tubular body 112, a substantially cylinder body 122, acircular ring 123, a hollow space 124, a longitudinal axis “a”, lengthl1, length l2, length l3, diameter d1, diameter d2, diameter d3 anddiameter d4 as defined in connection with FIG. 1.

Moreover, the second solid body 111 has a hole 130 having an axis “b”.The diameter d5 of the hole 130 of the alignment tool 100 is in therange of from 0.1 to 1 inch. The hole 130 extends in a planesubstantially parallel to the flat circular base 104 of the first solidbody 101 and in a direction substantially passing through thelongitudinal axis “a” of the alignment tool 100, i.e., the axis “a” andaxis “b” substantially cross. Hole 130 can be used to insert a removaltool to remove the alignment tool 100 after the installation of thestorage rack. While hole 130 shown in FIG. 3 substantially extendsthrough the entire second solid body 111, the hole 130 may only extendpartially through the second solid body 111 as long as such extension issufficient to receive a removal tool for easily removal of the alignmenttool 100.

FIG. 4 illustrates a fourth embodiment of an alignment tool inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The alignment tool200 has a substantially cylindrical body 201, a first end 202, a secondend 203, an opening 204, a longitudinal axis “a”, length l1, length l3,length l4, diameter d2 and diameter d3 as defined in connection withFIG. 2.

Furthermore, the substantially cylindrical body 201 of the alignmenttool 200 has a hole 230 having an axis “b”. The diameter d5 of the hole230 of the alignment tool 200 is in the range of from 0.1 to 1 inch. Thehole 230 extends in a plane substantially perpendicular the longitudinalaxis “a” of the alignment tool 200, i.e., the axis “a” and axis “b”substantially cross. Hole 230 can be used to insert a removal tool toremove the alignment tool 200 after the installation of the storagerack. While hole 230 shown in FIG. 4 substantially extends through theentire cylindrical body 201 of the alignment tool 200, the hole 230 mayonly extend partially through the cylindrical body 201 of the alignmenttool 200 as long as such extension is sufficient to receive a removaltool for easily removal of the alignment tool 200.

FIG. 5A illustrates a cross sectional view of one embodiment of analignment tool 200 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.Reference numbers used in FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B have been described inconnection with FIG. 2. FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view illustratingthe axis “b” of the hole 230 and axis “a” of the alignment tool 200cross. The hole 230 may either extends through the entire substantiallycylindrical body 201, as shown in FIG. 5A, or only extend partiallythrough the substantially cylindrical body 201 as long as such extensionis sufficient to receive a removal tool for easily removal of thealignment tool 200. FIG. 5B illustrates another cross sectional view ofone embodiment of an alignment tool 200 in accordance with aspects ofthe present disclosure. The cross sectional view shown in FIG. 5B issubstantially perpendicular to the cross sectional view shown in FIG.5A.

FIG. 6A illustrates a cross sectional view of a fifth embodiment of analignment tool 200 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.Reference numbers used in FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B have been described inconnection with FIG. 2. FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B are cross-sectional viewsthat are substantially perpendicular to each other, and they illustratethat the substantially cylindrical body 201 has a convex end 205 withinthe opening 204, in other words, the opening 204 extending into thecylindrical body 201 along the longitudinal axis “a” has a concave end.The utilization of convex end 205 reduces the contact surface of the topof the threaded anchor bolt with the alignment tool 200, therefore,potential damage on the anchor bolt can be significantly reduced.

FIG. 7A illustrates a cross sectional view of a sixth embodiment of analignment tool 200 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.Reference numbers used in FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B have been described inconnection with FIG. 2. FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B are cross-sectional viewsthat are substantially perpendicular to each other. Similar to theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B, the substantiallycylindrical body 201 of the alignment tool 200 has a convex end 205within the opening 204, or the opening 204 extending into thecylindrical body 201 along the longitudinal axis “a” has a concave endto protect the top of the threaded anchor bolt. Moreover, side walls ofthe opening 204 of the alignment tool 200 have internal threads. Duringthe alignment process, the alignment tool 200 is first screwed on thethreaded anchor bolt, the threads of the anchor bolt are protected bythe convex end 205 and the internal threads on the side walls of theopening 204. While this embodiment of the alignment tool requires acloser fit between the alignment tool 200 and the threaded anchor boltcompared with other embodiments without threads on the side walls of theopening 204, this embodiment of the alignment tool provides bestprotection to the anchor bolt and most secure connection during thealignment and assembling process.

FIG. 8 illustrates one embodiment of an alignment tool 200 being placedon a threaded anchor bolt in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure. The diameter d3 of the opening 204 of the alignment tool 200is slightly larger than the diameter d6 of the threaded anchor bolt 208.The alignment tool 200 is positioned on the threaded anchor bolt 208wherein the top of the opening 204 is in direct contact with the topsurface of the threaded anchor bolt 208. Length 15 is the above-groundlength of the threaded anchor bolt 208. Length 16 is the length of theexposed threaded anchor bolt 208, which is the difference between theabove-ground length 15 of the threaded anchor bolt 208 and the length l3of the opening 204. While length 15 of the threaded anchor bolt 208 isshown in FIG. 8 as longer than length l3 of the opening 204, theabove-ground length 15 of the threaded anchor bolt 208 could be the sameor even less than the length l3 of the opening 204 without sacrificingthe function and utility of the alignment tool 200. When theabove-ground length 15 of the threaded anchor bolt 208 is shorter thanthe length l3 of the opening 204, the threaded anchor bolt 208 has noexposed threads.

FIG. 9A illustrates a cross sectional view of one embodiment of analignment tool being placed on a threaded anchor bolt in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure. Axis “b” of the hole 230 issubstantially perpendicular to this cross sectional view. The threadedanchor bolt 208 is deeply embedded in the floor and the threads arecovered and protected by the opening 204 of the alignment tool 200. FIG.9B illustrates a cross sectional view of a storage rack being installedthrough the alignment tool 200 and the threaded anchor bolt 208 inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The height h1 is theheight of the base plate 350 of a storage rack having a hole 351. Thelength 16 of the exposed threaded anchor bolt needs to be shorter thanthe height h1 of the base place 350, so that the opening 204 of thealignment tool 200 covers the threads having substantially the samelength as the length l3 of the opening 204 and provides protection tothe covered threads during the alignment process.

FIGS. 10A-10G illustrate the use of one embodiment of an alignment toolin the installation and fastening of a storage rack. During theinstallation, as shown in FIG. 10A, a threaded anchor bolt 208 is deeplyembedded in the floor. Then an alignment tool 200 in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure is placed on the threaded anchor bolt208 as shown in FIG. 10B. FIG. 10C shows a base plate 350 of a storagerack being aligned and ready to be lowered towards the alignment tool200. FIG. 10D(a) shows the base plate 350 of the storage rack beingoff-center aligned with the alignment tool 200.

As shown in FIG. 10D(a), the apex of first end 202 of the alignment tool200 enters the hole 351 on the base plate 350 of the storage rack. Theapex of the alignment tool 200 is positioned off-center within the hole351. As the storage rack lowers, the apex of the alignment tool 200enters the hole 351 on the storage rack, and the conical shaped body ofthe first end 202 of the alignment tool 200 may be in contact with thecylindrical wall of the hole 351 on the storage rack.

FIG. 10D(b) is a force diagram to illustrate the forces acting on thealignment tool 200 by the base plate 350 of the storage rack. As shownin FIG. 10D(b), at the contact point 352 of the first end 202 of thealignment tool 200 and the cylindrical wall of the hole 351 on thestorage rack, the weight of the storage rack creates a gravity force Gdownwards paralleling to the longitudinal axis “a”. The heavier thestorage rack, the larger the gravity force G. The gravity force G can bedecomposed into two orthogonal components: a normal force Gn which isperpendicular to the conical shaped body of the first end 202 of thealignment tool 200 at the contact point 352 and a parallel force Gpwhich is parallel to the surface of the conical shaped body of the firstend 202 of the alignment tool 200 at the contact point 352. The conicalshaped body of the first end 202 of the alignment tool 200 in turnsupplies a normal force Fn which is perpendicular to the surface ofconical shaped body of the first end 202 of the alignment tool 200 atthe contact point 352 and substantially equals to the normal force Gn.As the storage rack lowers, a friction force Ff is created between thesurface of the conical shaped body of the first end 202 of the alignmenttool 200 and the surface of the cylindrical wall of the hole 351 on thestorage rack. Since the surface of the first end 202 of the alignmenttool 200 and the surface of the cylindrical wall of the hole 351 on thestorage rack are both smooth surface, the friction force Ff is smallerthan the parallel force Gp, especially for very heavy storage racks,resulting in a net force F, i.e., the difference between the parallelforce Gp and the friction force Ff, in the direction of the parallelforce Gp. The net force F is the actual force that guides the storagerack through the conical shape of the first end 202 of the alignmenttool 200 when the alignment tool 200 is positioned off-center within thehole 351.

FIG. 10E(a) illustrates a cross sectional view of a storage rack beinginstalled through the body of the alignment tool in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure. As shown in a cross sectional view ofFIG. 10E(1), once the hole 351 on the storage rack has completely passedaround the conical shaped portion of the alignment tool 200, thecylindrical wall of the hole 351 on the storage rack may occasionallybeing in contact with the surface of the alignment tool 200. FIG. 10E(b)is a force diagram to illustrate the forces acting on the alignment toolby the storage rack. The gravity force G downwards paralleling to thelongitudinal axis “a” remains the same. When the occasional contact ofthe cylindrical wall of the hole 351 on the storage rack and the surfaceof the alignment tool 200 happens, the surface of the alignment tool 200provides a friction force Ff′ and a normal force Fn′. The friction forceFf′ is very small due to the smooth surface as discussed above. The netforce F′, i.e, the difference between the gravity force G and thefriction force Ff′, is the actual force that lowers the storage rackthrough the rest of the alignment tool 200. The normal force Fn′ guidesthe hole 351 of the storage rack substantially around the alignment tool200. For example, if the hole 351 of the storage rack is off-centeredand touches the alignment tool 200, the normal force Fn′ would push thestorage rack in the opposite direction to re-center the hole 351 of thestorage rack.

FIG. 10F shows a storage rack being placed on the floor without damagingthe threaded anchor bolt. FIG. 10G shows an alignment tool being removedand a nut being screwed on the anchor bolt to secure the storage rack.Subsequently, the alignment tool is being removed and a nut is beingscrewed on the anchor bolt 208 to secure the storage rack, as shown inFIG. 10G.

FIG. 11 illustrates the scale of the storage rack installation using thealignment tools in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.FIG. 11 shows an operator 900 of a forklift 910 in the process ofinstalling a heavy storage rack having multiple holes substantiallyevenly spaced along the edges of the base plate 350 of the storage rackinto multiple fixed in ground anchor bolts 208 protected by thealignment tools 200.

The present disclosure is advantageous because the alignment tool isuniversal in that a single steady tool may be manufactured and used foralign the storage racks during the installation process. The alignmenttool can be easily removed after the storage racks are installed.

The alignment tool can be fabricated from suitable materials, including,but not limited to, metal(s), alloy(s), or combinations thereof, etc.Suitable metals include aluminium, copper, iron, tin, lead, titanium,zinc and etc. Suitable alloys including steel, solder, brass, pewter,duralumin, bronze, amalgams and etc. The alignment tool may befabricated from a single material or a combination of materials,including, but not limited to, the above exemplary materials, to achievevarious desired characteristics such as strength, rigidity, performanceand durability.

While the above description contains many specifics, these specificsshould not be construed as limitations of the invention, but merely asexemplifications of preferred embodiments thereof. Those skilled in theart will envision many other embodiments within the scope and spirit ofthe invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

1. An alignment tool, comprising: a first solid body having asubstantially conical shape with a round apex, a circular body graduallyexpanding from the round apex and a flat circular base terminating thecircular body of the first solid body, wherein the center of the roundapex and the center of the flat circular base lie substantially along alongitudinal axis of the alignment tool; a second solid body having anelongated tubular body extended from the flat circular base of the firstsolid body in an opposite direction of the round apex of the first solidbody and along the longitudinal axis defined by the first solid body;and a hollow body having a substantially cylindrical body extended fromthe second solid body in an opposite direction of the round apex of thefirst solid body, along the longitudinal axis defined by the first solidbody and terminated at a circular ring and a hollow space having asubstantially cylindrical shape encompassed by the hollow body.
 2. Thealignment tool of claim 1, wherein the second solid body has a holeextended in a plane substantially parallel to the flat circular base ofthe first solid body and in a direction substantially perpendicular tothe longitudinal axis of the alignment tool for receiving a removaltool.
 3. The alignment tool of claim 1, wherein the hollow body has aconvex end.
 4. The alignment tool of claim 1, wherein the hollow bodyhas internal threads.
 5. The alignment tool of claim 1, wherein thehollow body has a convex end and internal threads.
 6. The alignment toolof claim 1, wherein the material of the alignment tool is metal, alloyor combination thereof.
 7. An alignment tool having a substantiallycylindrical body defined along a longitudinal axis, comprising a firstend having a conical shape; and a second end defining an openingtherein, and the opening extending into said cylindrical body along thelongitudinal axis.
 8. The alignment tool of claim 7, wherein the firstend has a hole extended in a direction substantially perpendicular tothe longitudinal axis of the alignment tool for receiving a removaltool.
 9. The alignment tool of claim 7, wherein the opening has a convexend.
 10. The alignment tool of claim 7, wherein the opening has internalthreads.
 11. The alignment tool of claim 7, wherein the opening has aconvex end and internal threads.
 12. The alignment tool of claim 7,wherein the material of the alignment tool is metal, alloy orcombination thereof.
 13. A system comprising: a plurality of alignmenttools, wherein each alignment tool has a substantially cylindrical bodydefined along a longitudinal axis, and each alignment tool comprises afirst end having a conical shape and a second end defining an openingtherein, and the opening extending into said cylindrical body along thelongitudinal axis; and a plurality of threaded anchor bolts, wherein atleast a portion of each threaded anchor bolt is deeply embedded in theground and at least a portion of each threaded anchor bolt is exposedabove the ground for receiving and securing a storage rack.
 14. Thesystem of claim 13, wherein the first end has a hole extended in adirection substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of thealignment tool for receiving a removal tool.
 15. The system of claim 13,wherein the opening has a convex end.
 16. The system of claim 13,wherein the opening has internal threads.
 17. The system of claim 13,wherein the opening has a convex end and internal threads.
 18. Thesystem of claim 13, wherein the first end of the alignment tool guidesthe storage rack through the alignment tool.
 19. The alignment tool ofclaim 13, wherein the material of the alignment tool is metal, alloy orcombination thereof.